Who’s Sorry Now?

I’m going to move on to other topics, I promise. But first: look at the design de-evolution of Sorry. The game was first produced in England in the 1920’s as a modified version of Parcheesi. In 1934, at left, it was licensed to Parker Brothers for sale in the United States. The board actually didn’t change much from then through the 1962 version at top right. Oh, but the box! The older typography was bold and striking. By 1962, the box had almost no design of its own, relying on a photo of the board and a couple of creepy disembodied hands to convey the game’s appeal.

It’s clear that the current look overall, at lower right—brighter candy colors, lots of transparency, lots of speed lines—is influenced by video games and motion graphics. This strikes me as a desperate attempt to attract a generation of players who expect their entertainment to move and crash and make sparks. A board game does none of those things; why pretend? It’s just a different animal. But still a fun one.